Rattlesnake Sprint - Mini RR

Ok, so I had the Rattlesnake sprint triathlon over the weekend (Up in Colorado). Great race, got a cool bag, but the altitude kicked my azz...

Distances - 500m swim, 12 mile bike, 3.1 run.

Swim - Straight out and back. They do a really cool stagger start, you walk up to the end of the chute, the lady punches your number in and says "Go!", so there is 4-6 seconds between each swimmer. Completely eliminates crowding. I had a good swim, except when one guy kinda panicked and swam straight across in front of me to a kayak, I kinda stabbed him in the ear. That's what you get for jayswimming. :D My swim time was 7:58 according to my dad timing, although the swim includes a long run (longer than Tempe!) up the hill to transition, so swim time was 9:34.

T1 - A bit dizzy. I really need to learn to run/ride sockless, staggering around trying to put on my socks, while comical, cost me. T1 time was 1:38, blegh.

Bike - I thought I did better than I did. Good course, but VERY hilly. 750 of climbing in 4.5 miles, rolling hills. The bike course was dead on, and I averaged 18.5 mph for a split of 38:54. Definitely noticing the altitude. Not a bad time, but I was hoping/planning for a 33:xx split.

T2 - Again disappointing. I forgot to get yankz or similar, so I had to tie both laces, and I lost my place and had to hunt. T2 time was 1:16.

Run - Again, not too bad, especially considering how I was feeling by now. My right calf was thinking about cramping, and I was sucking wind in a bad way. I was hoping for a 22:xx or low 23 split, ended up being 25:29. Not shabby, but nothing to shout about either.

Total time was 1:16:49. Ended up 13/39 in my AG, and 95/597 overall. Not too bad, but a bit disappointing for what I was anticipating. I was hoping for a sub 1:10, which would have placed me around 5th or 6th in my division, and around 32nd OA. Maybe next year, although I'll need a camelback of O2. :D

John